Munich flights and trains cancelled due to heavy snow: Everything you need to know

Flight chaos continues at Germany’s second busiest hub Munich Airport, with most flights cancelled due to heavy snowfall. Trains in and out of the city are also severely disrupted.

The airport has issued a warning to passengers: if you haven’t had confirmation that your flight is going, stay at home. They have said they do not know how long the disruption will last.

Many passengers have taken to social media to complain about the service they have received from airlines.

Read on for advice if you are trying to travel in or out of Munich.

Munich airport: Flight disruption continues

Munich airport shut down on Saturday due to the heavy snowfall. One runway reopened yesterday and a second this morning so the situation is slowly improving. But more than a quarter of today’s flights have been cancelled.

Of the 840 flights scheduled at the airport today, 230 have been cancelled.

The airport’s Christmas market remains closed today and tomorrow.

There was a similar situation at Munich airport last year when 133 flights were cancelled due to a frozen runway.

What is the advice for passengers at Munich airport?

The airport and airlines are instructing passengers to check airline’s websites and apps for information on their flights.

The airport has said that passengers should not go the airport unless they have had confirmation that their flight is scheduled to run.

Lufthansa, one of the main airlines that uses the airport, has explained that they will “have to cancel further flights” due to “frozen airport equipment or snow-covered vehicles.”

They advicsed passengers to “check the status of their flight on Lufthansa.com or in the Lufthansa app before traveling to the airport.

Deutsche Bahn advises against travel in or out of Munich

Train travel also continues to be severely impacted by the bad weather.

There are only a few long-distance trains running from Munich Hauptbahnhof, the city’s main train station.

Train operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) advised passengers to postpone travel until at least tomorrow (5th December).

What are train passenger’s rights?

Passengers who want to postpone trips from 2-4 December due to the weather can use their ticket at a later date.

It is also possible to take a different route than the one booked if it is going to the same destination. Meanwhile, seat reservations can be cancelled free of charge.

Refunds are also possible if passengers cannot travel at a later date.

A free hotline (08000-996633) has been set up for customers who want more information about the current situation.

What other train services are impacted?

S-Bahn and regional services around Munich are also impacted, with tracks expected to gradually improve over the next few days.

There were still no connections between the state capital and Innsbruck and Salzburg in Austria, as well as Zurich in Switzerland. These services were expected to resume on Tuesday.

DB also said that there may be train cancellations and delays in other parts of Germany due to the freezing weather.

‘Stuck in #Munich for a third day now’

Passengers have taken to social media to complain about the service they have received from airlines during the disruption.

American user Neil took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that United Airlines have not provided any assistance over the four days he has been stuck in Munich.

User Evi complained of similar service from Lufthansa, saying they did not arrange her accommodation nor provide her with her luggage. Lufthansa responded to the tweet, saying: “I am truly sorry but I can only confirm that LH1760 has been cancelled for today.”

Others have been more positive, posting snow-filled photos from Munich.

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